It All Started at the Pawn Shop
by truelove333
Summary: Mr. Gold was the town's beast, but underneath all that he was just a lonely man with nothing but his pawn shop. That all changes when Belle French returns to Stroybrooke looking for a job. Just a simple Storybrooke romance. No curse.
1. Job Hunting

Mr. Gold sat in the back room of his pawnshop tinkering with an antique clock that he knew probably wouldn't sell. The only time someone dared to enter his shop was when they needed a loan extension. The pawnshop itself didn't make any actual money, it was just something he did to pass the time. Sitting in the shop, with a 20% chance of some sort of social interaction was better than sitting at home with a 0% chance. He knew he came across as some kind of monster to the townsfolk. That was one of the many reasons he didn't have any friends. The truth was, he was rather lonely. He wanted someone to care about him for the person he was, not the person people feared.

It was his own fault though. He never let anyone get close enough to care. He even cast out his own son so he wouldn't have to share his emotions. That was his biggest regret. So he sat in his shop, trying to fix an old necklace, waiting for something or someone to happen. Then he heard his little bell ring. He walked out from behind his desk and made his way into the front room. He didn't see anyone, and he knew no one in this town was stupid enough to try and steal from him.

He heard the click-clack of heels against the hardwood and prepared himself for the unpleasant conversation Regina was about to unleash on him. "You can come out dearie, it's just us" he called out to her. He was truly surprised when the pretty, blue-eyed, brunette stepped out from behind one of his towers of knick-knacks.

She smiled brilliantly at him and walked to him, hand extended. "You must be Mr. Gold" she said shaking his hand. "I'm Belle French. You probably know my father, Moe?"

Gold, nodded his head, dumbfounded. No one had ever acted quite so, kindly, towards him before. "I wasn't aware Moe had a daughter." That in itself was odd. He knew everyone's business, every tiny, useless, detail he could get his claws on. How had he overlooked this beauty?

"Well, I jumped a few grades in school. I went to college when I was sixteen, then after I got my doctorate, I spent a couple of years in Europe. I haven't been home in, gosh it's been ten years now." Gold was beyond stunned. She was twenty-six years old and she had her doctorate? What the bloody hell was she doing back in Storybrooke.

"That's all very impressive dearie, now what exactly are you doing in my shop?" He tried to have the same bite in his voice as he does with the rest of the town, but his words were neither sharp or sarcastic. Was this girl making him soft?

She smiled at him again. Why was she doing that? "Well, I've done quite a bit of traveling now and I'm ready to be home now, I'm looking for a job."

That one really through him for a loop. "A.. a job? Here? In my shop? Are you serious?"

She giggled at his surprise. "Of course I'm serious. Oh I didn't mention that I've spent the last ten years studying ancient artifacts and such. I can appraise antiques and I can tell when something is genuine or fake. Dad said you've never had an employee before, so I figured I'd try and be the first." She seemed determined, she seemed so sure of herself.

Gold turned on his cane walking behind the counter. "You're father encouraged this?" he asked curiously. He had never had a good relationship with Moe French and he couldn't imagine the man sending his daughter in here looking for work.

"Well, I asked and he did tell me to stay from you, but I can be rather persuasive when I want to be. You can add that to my list of redeemable qualities" she winked at him.

Gold cleared his throat and proceeded to pull out a few trinkets from behind the counter. He placed them in front of her and before he even gave her instructions she studied each one and told him everything he knew about them and more. "Well, you passed that test" she giggled at him again. He was beginning to like the sound. It tickled his ears and caused a warm tingle to run down his spine. "I'm afraid not many people come into my shop, however. I wouldn't really have any work for you to do, it'd be rather pointless to hire you" he regretfully admitted. He watched the light in her eyes fade slightly, and her mouth curve down. He decided then that she should never not be smiling. What was he getting himself into. "I suppose, since you are so eager... I guess I could find something for you to do. At the very least you could keep me company."

Her eyes widened with excitement and the smile returned to her face. "Oh thank you! Thank you so much Mr. Gold. I promise you won't be disappointed."

"I better not be" he teased. "If you're not doing anything I could show you around the shop, if you like" he suggested. Her smile brightened even more and shook her head yes.

He showed her his very unorganized system, which she seemed to follow ad approve of. He told her a few stories of how he acquired some of the items. Then he showed her the piece he had been working on. "Thats extraordinary!" she exclaimed. "What year is it? Mid.. late 1800s?" she guessed.

"1846. It's actually a rather interesting story if you want to hear it" he looked up from the necklace, waiting for the answer he knew was coming.

"Oh, yes please. I love a good story." Without thinking about it she hopped up on his desk, letting her legs dangle off the edge. Gold visibly gulped and loosened his tie a bit, something he never did, but it was suddenly getting hard to breathe in his office.

"Well, my family is from Scotland, as you might have guessed. My great great grandfather had a strong friendship with a man from Ireland. During the potato famine, the man lost everything he had in his possession, except this necklace. My great great grandfather, made his friend a deal. He promised the man that he would pay his way to America, if he got the necklace in return. The man refused at first, but as he grew poorer and poorer, my grandfather became more persistent. Eventually the man gave up the necklace and made his way over to America."

Belle could tell there was more to the story, and she leaned closer to him off the desk wanting to hear the rest. "The man worked hard here and when he had made enough money to buy his necklace back, my grandfather reused. It's been passed down from generation to generation and when my father died it became mine. We have a a very nasty rivalry with the man's family. Each new member to each of our families fights over the necklace. My competition is a Mr. Killian Jones. I'll probably end up leaving it to him in the end, since my family's dying out with me. I'm the last of the Golds." he didn't want to mention his son. He embarrassed to admit what had happened there.

"So your two families fight over the necklace, after all this time? But that's foolish. It's just a necklace." Belle was smart. Far too smart to be working in his pawn shop. She was wasting her time here. She could be doing so many amazing things out there, back in Europe.

"Why did you come back here? It's nothing but a small, annoying little town. It has nothing to offer you."

Belle shrugged her shoulders. "I was tired of being alone" she admitted. "I wanted to reunite with my father and my old friends. Maybe start a family. Any respectable bachelor's around these parts?"

Gold pretended to think about it, there were probably several. But for some weird reason, he didn't want Belle to know that. "Just me dearie." She laughed, knowing he was lying.

"Well, I guess I'll have to ask you out to dinner then? Does Friday work for you?" Gold choked. Was she serious? Was she honestly asking him on date? Him? The town monster? The man that everyone feared? "If you don't want to that's alright, we did just meet after all." He must have paused too long.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked, not wanting to think he wasn't interested.

"Well, nothing too extravagant. Just a simple dinner, maybe a movie? Are you up for that?" she was teasing him, he could tell. It was refreshing, to have someone joke with him. Most people don't dare to even laugh in his presence, never mind tease him.

"I think I'm up for the challenge" he told her.

"Good. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

He blinked as she hopped off his desk. "Tomorrow? I thought you said Friday."

"I did. But you did agree to hire me did you not? What time do you usually open?"

He had completely forgotten that the only real reason she was here was because of a job. She didn't want to go on a date with him. He was her boss now, she probably just wanted to get on his good side. "Right. I usually open at around 8, but I'm here by 7:30."

She smiled once more at him, as he walked her out of the shop. "See you at 7:30 then." He watched her walk down the street to her father's flower shop. What the hell just happened?


	2. Cancelled Dates and Dates Made

The next morning Gold found his new employee waiting for him at the shop, ready to go with two coffee cups from Granny's in her hand. Too bad he preferred tea. "For you" she said handing him the cup.

"That was nice of you dearie, but I don't care much for coffee" he was trying to be polite for once, but if she kept pushing the cup at him he might start to lose his patience with her.

"It's not coffee. It's earl grey. I didn't peg you for a coffee person. I'm not one either. I brought some sugars from Granny's, I wasn't sure how you took your tea." She held the cup out to him again and this time he accepted it. He took one of the sugar packets and poured it in, stirring the beverage slowly and thoroughly before taking a sip. He nodded his approval and set to work continuing to fix up the necklace. "So, have you thought of anything that I could do?" she asked.

Taking another sip of his tea, he told her she could take inventory of the items he had stored in the basement. "I'm not sure what you'll find down there" he admitted. "Make sure you mark down prices, I trust you'll know what everything is worth."

Belle jokingly saluted him, and climbed down the stairs to the basement. Halfway down she turned back to call to him. "You aren't going to lock me down here, are you?"

He laughed at her joke, calling back from his desk. "I guess you'll have to wait and see dearie."

Belle sorted through about half of the disaster area that was Mr. Gold's basement before her stomach growled. She walked up the stairs to find the door closed and locked. "I can't believe you actually locked me down there!" she laughed as she knocked obnoxiously on the door. Within seconds he had it opened for her, trying desperately not to laugh at her annoyance. She glared at him and ignored his laughter, trying to be civil. "I'm going to get some lunch, do you want anything?"

"I'm fine dearie, enjoy your lunch" he said to her before sitting back down at his desk.

She gave him a smile, before leaving. The walk to Granny's was short and when she walked in and saw Ruby for the first time since high school she nearly screamed. "Ruby!" Ruby looked up from the counter and nearly tripped on her way over to Belle.

Ruby practically knocked them both to the ground when she hugged her old friend. "Belle! I missed you so much" she gushed. "How have you been? You're father said you were coming back, when'd you get in?"

Belle pulled away from Ruby, heading towards the counter. "I've been great, I got in around four yesterday. Sorry I didn't come see you then, but I was job hunting."

Ruby handed a Belle a glass of iced tea. "Any luck?" she asked.

Taking a huge gulp of her iced tea, and nodding her head at the same time wasn't the best of ideas. "Lots, actually" she said while wiping the bit of iced tea she spilt on herself away. "I'm now working at Mr. Gold's pawn shop" she stated proudly.

Ruby's eyes were bugging out of her head. "Mr. Gold!" she exclaimed. "You're working for Mr. Gold? Why would you do that? He's a monster!"

Belle was taken aback by Ruby's comments. "He certainly didn't act monstrously towards me. In fact we are going to have dinner on Friday" she said with a smile on her face.

"He asked you out! God what a perv! Don't worry I'll get you out of it." Ruby was really worried about her. But why?

"Actually..." Belle stopped unsure if she admit this to Ruby, who seemed to really despise Gold. "I asked him out" she said finally.

Ruby eyed her cautiously, "Why?" There was nothing but confusion etched on her face.

Belle shrugged her shoulders. "I liked talking with him yesterday. I think we could be friends" she said hopefully.

"Just friends though, right?" Ruby practically demanded. "You're not thinking about getting into bed with him or anything" she whispered across the counter.

If Belle was being honest with herself, she did feel a strong connection to Mr. Gold. But she thought it best to not tell Ruby that she was indeed thinking about him in that way. "No. No I just want to be friends with my employer, nothing more."

Ruby let out a sigh of relief, before her whole body tensed up. Belle looked behind her to see what had gotten Ruby so frightened. Mr. Gold. 'I hope he didn't hear me say anything' she thought to herself.

"Miss. French, you forgot your bag. I assumed you would be paying for your lunch so I decided to run it over here" his voice as harsh and cold. He had heard her. Damn.

She smiled weakly at him, "Thank you." Without another word he left the diner. She would have a lot of explaining to do. Turning back to Ruby she let her forehead collide with the counter with a loud thump.

"Looks like he didn't know it was just a friendly dinner you two had planned." Ruby was obviously thrilled by that, but Belle was devastated. She decided to take her hamburger to go so she could go talk to Mr. Gold.

The walk back to the shop seemed long. Opening his door and walking through the front room was suddenly uncomfortable. There was an all consuming tension in the air. She knew he was upset, but he appeared to be perfectly calm. He still sat at his desk, fiddling with that damned necklace. "Mr. Gold?" she whispered, now worrying about distracting him.

"Best get back to work dearie" he said without looking up from his desk. She nodded even though he couldn't see her and headed for the basement. "Oh, I'm going to have to cancel our dinner. I forgot I have a very important meeting with a client of mine."

Belle's face dropped, "How about Saturday then?" she asked, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. She knew what his answer was going to be. She should have just told Ruby the truth, then none of this would have happened.

"Afraid not, I collect rent on Saturday. Get back to work, you still have half the basement to get through." She sighed in defeat, and made her way down to the basement.

For the next three weeks, that's how their day would go. She would ask him about rescheduling dinner, and he would ignore her. Belle was ready to give up. What's worse was that she didn't think he'd care if she did. What's even worse than that was that since everyone in town hated him, she had no one to talk to about it.

What she really needed right now was a drink. That's how she found herself in the Rabbit Hole. She was sitting alone at the bar, swirling her scotch around in its glass. She was deep in thought until an unfamiliar voice broke her trance. "Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Belle looked up from her drink and shook her head no, not really paying attention to the man. "So, I don't think I've seen you around. You new to town?" Belle wasn't in the mood for this. Unfortunately she was too nice to simply brush him off and send him on his merry way.

"Just moved back, a few weeks ago actually" she said simply, turning her attention back to her drink.

He ordered a drink and made himself comfortable. "Looks like you just went through a bad breakup" the man inquired.

Belle turned to him, agitated. "I don't even know your first name and your asking m about my love life? Isn't that a tad bit inappropriate?"

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "No need to bite my head off sweetheart. The name's Garret." Belle cringed at the pet name he used on her. "Wanna tell me yours?"

Belle shot the last of the scotch back, asked for another and proceeded to ignore her new drinking partner. "I'll take that as a no" he said, stating the obvious. "So, you wanna go out sometime?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Belle swirled around on her stool to face the man. He was rather attractive, tall, well-built, strong. Mr. Gold had nicer eyes though. When Gold smiled, it made her knees weak. She really needed to stop thinking about Gold. Maybe this guy was the solution. Maybe if she could make sure that Gold saw her with this man, he would get jealous. After thinking about it for another second, Belle made a decision. Probably a horrible decision that would make her life incredibly complicated, but maybe it would be worth it. "Where would you take me?" she asked Garret.

Garret just smirked at her. Hopefully Gold would get jealous very quickly. "Tell me your name, and I'll tell you where we'd go" he countered.

"Belle" she said. "My name's Belle."

Garret eyed her, up and down, but his eyes never met hers. No, his eyes tended to linger at her chest. "Well, Belle, I'll take you places you've never been before."

Belle nearly gagged at his unbelievably corny line. 'Think of the benefits. Think of what Gold might say' she told herself. "Why don't we start with dinner?" Garret just smiled wickedly at her.

Belle downed her second drink, scribbled down her phone number on a napkin and handed it to Garret. "Call me" she told him. Walking out of the Rabbit Hole, Belle felt the affects of the alcohol start to kick in, thanking God that she wasn't wearing heels. The night air was refreshing, it helped clear her head. It helped her realize that using that guy, Garret, to get Mr. Gold to pay attention to her was a childish idea. Tomorrow she would try, yet again to explain everything to Gold. If he didn't listen then that was it. Maybe Garret wasn't such a terrible guy anyway.

That next day, Belle walked into the pawn shop with a wicked headache. Too much scotch, she decided. She had her speech planned out perfectly in her head, which meant everything was going to come out horribly wrong. She was prepared for that too though. She was not going to lose this fight. She walked straight up to the counter, placing his earl grey down and quickly making eye contact.

"Mr. Gold, can I ask you a question?" she started, not wanting to just jump right into things.

He stirred his sugar into his tea and let his gaze drop, "I suppose."

Belle took a deep breath, "Are you ever going to reschedule our date?" Well that wasn't what she had planned to say at all. Now she would have to improvise.

Gold looked up, looking very uncomfortable. "I wasn't aware it was a date" he said nonchalantly.

Belle rolled her eyes at him. "Of course you knew. Don't try to play dumb with me. I know you heard me talking to Ruby about it at Granny's. I didn't mean what I said, she was just getting on my nerves and..."

Gold stopped her, anger glowing in his eyes. "I'm not the one who misunderstood dearie. I was just being polite. You were new to town, and I wanted to make my employee feel welcome. That's all."

Belle had her own anger building inside of her. "Why do you always do that?" she asked tossing her hands up in defeat. "I know you felt a connection, just like I did when I walked in here three weeks ago. Why are you so afraid to explore it?"

Gold's grip tightened on his cane, making his knuckles turn white. "I think you should learn to hold your tongue in front of your boss. Take the day off, Miss. French. Maybe once you clear your head you'll acquire some manners" he spat at her.

"No my head is clear!" she shouted. "I understand if you don't want a relationship, but you have barely spoken to me at all since you canceled our date. Why can't we at least have some kid of friendship?" Gold just glared at her. Belle opened her mouth to say something else, but he gave her a warning look and she shut it.

"I'm not going to ask you again Miss. French, leave, or I'll fire you." Now he was threatening her, looks like Garret would be getting a date after all.

Almost as if by magic, her phone rang the second she stepped out of the pawn shop. "Hello?" she answered, having a pretty good sense of who was on the other line.

"Hey Belle, it's Garret. I was wondering if you had any plans tonight." He was being very polite, something he wasn't last night.

Belle looked back inside the shop, "No, I'm free" she said sadly.

"Great!" he clearly hadn't picked up on her mood. "Why don't we keep it simple this first time and go to Granny's. Meet there at seven?" he suggested.

Belle sighed, "Sure, sounds great." She hung up her phone and started walking back home, wondering what she would wear on her date.


	3. Break-ups and Road Trips

Belle decided not to dress up for their date. They were only going to Granny's after all. Garret tried to initiate conversation, and he was a true gentleman. She just wasn't interested in what he had to say. She had nothing in common with him. She was so upset about Gold that she could barely focus on her meal when it came. Garret had ordered for her, chicken parmesan, and he got a bottle of white wine for the two of them. Not something she would choose for herself but it wasn't completely awful. At the end of the night when he asked her out again, she had no reason to say no.

They had been on six dates since then, and tonight would be number seven, and she still hadn't mentioned anything to Mr. Gold. That was poor thinking on her part. Things had gotten better between them. They were rebuilding the friendship that should have never bee torn down in the first place. He began making jokes with her again, and telling her stories. They had spent a lot of time in the basement together, organizing the disaster area. He had even invited her to go with him to an auction in Boston this weekend.

She kept thinking of reasons to call, whatever she had with Garret, off. Every time she came close, he would do something sweet, like bring her flowers or send her little messages, and she would feel bad, and agree to another date.

She had started to develop some type of feelings for him, but she wasn't sure if they crossed the friend line or not. She knew her feelings for Mr. Gold were way past the line at this point, but that wasn't something he seemed to want, and Garret did, and that was the big difference between the two men.

They were at Granny's again, Belle was sitting at the table, looking over the menu, and Garret was in the bathroom. She heard the front door to the diner open and looked up to see who had entered. Mr. gold. 'Shit' she screamed in her head. He noticed her almost immediately and walked over to her table.

"Good evening Miss. French" he greeted her.

She tried to give him a smile, but it was more forced than she'd like. "Hello, Mr. Gold."

"Dining alone this evening?" he inquired. Now he wanted to have dinner with her. Of course he would choose a most inconvenient time to change his mind.

She was about to answer him when Garret returned to the table, taking his seat. He hadn't even noticed that Gold was standing over the table. "I see" he muttered. Belle gave him an apologetic look, and that was when Garret finally noticed him.

"Are you terrorizing my girlfriend Gold?" he asked. Belle's eyes widened. Girlfriend? Since when? "We are trying to enjoy a nice evening together and your presence is ruining it" he tried to sound brave, but his voice wavered.

Gold, not being a fool, noticed. "You best watch your tongue Mr. Knight. Let's not forget who signs your checks, who collects the rent, who is still waiting on the reasonable sum of money you owe them" he sneered. "You wouldn't want to anger them would you?"

Garret stiffened, and gritted out a soft no. Gold smirked at him, then looked back to Belle. "I'll see you tomorrow Miss. French."

Belle would've been fine. She would've been able to make it through the evening without completely obsessing over Mr. Gold. But the look in his eyes, when he turned to leave nearly had her in tears. He looked so... so broken. He was always so well put together, both emotionally and physically, she had never seen him with his walls down. She thought he might be angry if he saw her with Garret, she never thought he would just be plain sad.

"How is working for him? Is he a total perv as well as a bastard?" Garret laughed.

Belle wanted to slap him. "How dare you! Mr. Gold is a perfect gentleman. You're just upset because he out-witted you, which by the way, isn't very difficult to do. He's a smart business man and a great employer. He's even letting me go with him to that auction in Boston this weekend. So don't insult him in front of me."

Garret looked positively stun, and he became even more stunned when Belle got up and started walking out of the diner. He followed her twirling her around to face him on the steps. "So now what? Are you going to Gold? Are you really gonna go to him?" he asked dumbfounded.

She smiled for the first time that night. "Yes. I am" she told him. She tried to shake off his grip on her forearm but he was holding her too tightly. "Garret, please let go of me. I don't want to have this discussion here. Whatever we had going between us is over. I'm sorry."

Garret pulled her down the steps and into the alley behind the diner. "You'd honestly rather be with him than me?"

Belle pulled her arm away from him. "Yes" she repeated. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to go find him before he gets the wrong idea about us" she said gesturing between them.

Garret rubbed his temple and stopped her, yet again, from leaving. "I get it now" he said in a low chuckle. "You're screwing him aren't you?" Belle's mouth dropped and she gasped. "That's what he really hired you for."

With that Belle slapped him as hard she could across the face. That just made him even more angry with her. He began shaking her violently, slamming her up against the side of the building. "You'll shag him, but you won't even _kiss_ me?" he screamed in her face.

Sheriff Graham must have heard the commotion from inside because he was pulling Garret off of her and slapping a pair of handcuffs onto his wrists. "Are you alright Belle?" Belle just nodded her head. She fixed her sweater and walked briskly to the pawn shop. The lights were off, and the curtain was closed. Why didn't she ask where he lived?

Instead of wandering aimlessly around town she returned home, she would see him tomorrow morning. Then she remembered the auction. They would have a full weekend alone together, away from Storybrooke. The timing was perfect.

Her father was waiting for her when she walked through the door. He stood up and pulled her into a hug. "Are you alright? Graham called, wondering if you got home safely." His voice was filled with worry and Belle felt a little guilty.

"I'm fine dad, I promise. Garret and I just had a bit of a... disagreement" she said.

He pulled her to the couch and sat her down. "Graham told me he caught Garret pushing you up against a building in a dark alley. Now be honest with me, are you alright?" he annunciated each word, to get his point across.

Belle sighed and folded her hands in her lap. "I'm a little shaken up, but physically I'm perfectly fine."

Moe nodded his head and took a seat next to her. "Dad?" Moe looked at his daughter. "I know that, you're not Mr. Gold's biggest fan" Moe huffed and shook his head no. "I think that... I know that I have really intense feelings for him. If I told you that I was going to try and start a relationship with him, what would you say?" Belle waited anxiously for her father's answer.

Moe rubbed the sweat off his palms and onto his pants, uncomfortable with the unexpected turn in conversation. "I would say, that you are a smart, strong, and beautiful young woman; and that if you believe Gold, of all people on this earth, could be someone that you love, then I trust your judgement."

Belle smiled and gave her father a tight hug, before retreating to her room to pack for the weekend. She packed a couple professional outfits for when they were at the auction. She packed a pair of skin tight jeans that showed off her legs. She made sure to pack her sexiest lingerie, just in case. She carefully placed her book she had been reading in the side-pocket of her bag. She decided she would wear her nude pumps all weekend, remembering the one day she wore them to work and Gold couldn't keep his eyes from wandering to her. She set her alarm a little earlier so she could spend a few extra minutes in the shower to shave. She would convince Gold that they were made for each other, no matter what.

The next morning, after making herself look as flawless as she could, she made her way to the pawn shop. Gold was waiting there with his black Cadillac. He had the trunk open and she put her bag in, closing it. He handed her a cup of tea, which she accepted gratefully. They both stepped into the car, and Gold drove them out of Storybrooke. "Thank you again, for inviting me to come along. You didn't have to" she said, trying to break the ice.

Gold kept his eyes on the road, both hands on the wheel. "Yes, well, you do have quite an eye for extraordinarily rare objects."

She smiled, "I just want you to know that I'm not Garret's girlfriend." She was planning to wait to have this conversation, but since none of her plans had worked before, she thought 'screw it'. "I don't know why he called me that. It was... very uncomfortable for me as well. Whatever we did have going on is over now anyway" she told him.

"You don't have to throw your relationships away for me, dearie" he said. Belle bit her lip. "You're a grown woman, you don't need your employer's permission to date."

"Actually I do" she muttered.

"What was that, dearie?"

Belle sighed, sinking back into the seat. "Nothing. Mind if I turn on the radio?" He shook his head, and she began to look for a station. She settled on a pop/rock station that was playing Maroon 5 at the moment.

Belle was tapping her fingers in beat to the song, and she started to sing along. "you hurt me... but do I deserve this? You make me so nervous... calm me down, calm me down! Wake you up in the middle of the night to say, I will never walk away again, I'm never gonna leave this bed!" When she noticed Gold looking at her, with one eyebrow raised, she blushed and stopped singing. "Sorry" she mumbled.

Gold smiled at her before turning back to the road. "It's quite alright, dear." Hmmm, he said dear, what happened to dearie. She had to admit she thought dear was much better than the latter. Maybe she could serenade him on the way to Boston.

She made a point to sing along to every song that came on, even if he didn't know it. By the end of the drive, her throat was very soar, and a lot of Gold's coldness had melted away. They checked into the hotel. They had adjoining rooms, which made Belle happy. They settled in, and Belle changed into her pencil skirt and blouse, ready for the first day of the auction. They met in the hallway, and Belle noted that Gold had immediately noticed her choice of footwear.


	4. Chocolate Covered Strawberries

**This chapter is rated M. I just couldn't help myself. This will be the only M rated chapter.**

* * *

They made their way to the auction hall and began examining the on display pieces. Belle had made several mental notes, and she noticed Gold taking interest in the same pieces she was. There was an old tea set that they had both become very enamored with. It was very simple blue and gold detailing, but there was just something about it. It was the first item they bought, and it was their favorite.

By the end of the day they had made quite a few very good bargains. Some Belle actually considered stealing. Gold made a reservation at the hotel restaurant before they left the auction hall.

"So I'm finally getting my dinner?' Belle asked playfully.

Gold hummed his answer, "And you might get that movie too, if you behave of course."

Belle hit his shoulder, "How many deals did I help you secure today? I think that alone earns me two movies."

He chuckled at her, "You were good dearie, but you're not that good." His voice was deep and his words made her shudder.

"How do you know how good I am?" she whispered seductively into his ear, before getting in his car.

Gold swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, and made his way to the driver's side. He drove like he was in a trance. He could feel Belle's eyes on him and it was making him sweat. Twenty minutes later they were back at the hotel, and walking into the restaurant. "Your waiter will be with you shortly" the maitre de told them.

They both picked up their menus and looked over their meal options. "Good evening, would you like to start with a couple of drinks?"

Belle and Gold both looked at each other, "How about your finest bottle of champagne" he suggested. "Is that alright with you?" he asked Belle.

Belle only smiled, and the waiter left them to get the champagne. "So, what are we celebrating?" she asked, looking back at the menu.

Gold placed his menu at the edge of the table. "We, are celebrating how magnificent that tea set will look in my house" he joked.

"I thought it was going in the shop? How am I supposed to admire it now?" she asked, smiling.

He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "I suppose you'll just have to come visit it" he said.

Belle tried to hide her blush behind the menu, but knew he had already seen it. "I'm thinking of getting the salmon, how 'bout you?" she said changing the subject.

"I was going to get the salmon" he told her, picking up the menu again.

Belle sensed what he was doing and grabbed his hand, letting the menu drop back onto the table. "No, it's okay I'll get the swordfish instead."

He looked from their joined hands to Belle's eyes, "You know, the swordfish sounded delicious as well. I think I've changed my mind. You get the salmon" he told her.

She didn't let go of his hand when the waiter came back with the champagne. He poured two glasses and left the bottle. He took their orders and the two were left alone again. "I'm going to ask you a question, and I know you're not going to like it" Belle said.

His grip tightened a bit on her hand. "Then why are you going to ask me?"

"I want the answer" she said. "Why did you cancel our date?" He stiffened and pulled his hand away, but she caught it, keeping it in place. "Please, Mr. Gold. I have a right to know."

He cleared his throat and took a sip of the champagne. "It wasn't you. What you said in the diner I mean. I could tell the Lucas girl was pressuring you."

Belle looked at him, confused. "Then what was it?"

"The Lucas girl was right, Belle. I'm the town monster. Children run from me, adults hide from me, I'm the last person you should want to associate yourself with. I thought it'd be better for you if I admired you from a distance" he admitted.

Belle let go of his hand for a moment so she could sit up and move her chair closer to his. He watched her, baffled by her actions. Once she was situated, she reached for his hand again. "I didn't want you to stay away." Gold's eyes were glued to her lips. The only thing he could think about was how much he wanted to kiss her. Apparently she shared his thoughts because she started to lean into him. Their lips met briefly, mouths closed, but it was warm and still made the both of them breathless.

"Please don't push me away again" Belle pleaded with him. He smiled, bringing her hand up to his lips to kiss each one of her knuckles.

"Never again, Belle." He smirked at her, knowing how happy she would be that he used her first name. "Nicholas. Or Nick, if you'd like. That's my name, by the way."

Belle leaned back in, placing another kiss upon his lips. "It's nice to meet you Nick."

The food arrived, and they were grateful to have ordered fish, because it could be cut with just a fork, and neither of them wanted to let go of the other. They took turns feeding the other bites of their own dish. They had gone through half the bottle of champagne, and were now ordering desert.

"I'm in the mood for something chocolatey" Belle whispered into Gold's ear. She heard him groan when she nipped at his earlobe.

He turned to the waiter, "Would it be possible to take the rest of this champagne up to the room with us, and to have a plate of strawberries with _extra_ chocolate sauce sent up to the room as well?" The waiter nodded and went to get their check. Gold leaned into Belle, "What would you say if I told you, I was planning on eating you like a strawberry? Will you let me dip you in chocolate Belle?"

Belle shivered at his words and she tightened her grip on his hand, moaning. "You have no idea what you're doing to me right now." Gold chuckled and let his hand wander up her thigh, feeling her heat.

"Oh. I think I do dearie" he said blowing on her ear.

The waiter couldn't have come sooner with the check. Gold left a rather large tip and grabbing the bottle of champagne, lead Belle to the elevator. Once the elevator doors closed Belle practically jumped into his arms. Wrapping her arms around his neck and devouring his mouth. Her tongue slipped inside his mouth and they fought for control of the kiss. It was all searing passion, desire, and lust. Gold had his hand running across her backside when a loud cough interrupted them. They broke away, and gave their apologies to the couple waiting for them to exit onto their floor.

They stumbled through Gold's hotel door as their mouths crashed together again. He put the bottle on the table near the door and dropped his cane in favor of running his hands along Belle's body. She was already undoing his tie and beginning to work on unbuttoning his shirt. He ran his hands up the back of her shirt, and pulling away from her mouth, pulled the garment off.

His hands felt like fire against her bare skin, and when his fingers ghosted over her still clothed breasts she moaned, arching into his hands. His mouth found her neck and sucked on her pulse point. She tilted her head back, giving him better access. The knock at the door startled him, but then the thought of cleaning chocolate sauce off of Belle's body had him almost running to the door.

He took the tray of strawberries and chocolate and made his way back to the bed where Belle had sprawled out. "Is this really happening?" he asked, accidentally out loud.

She grinned at him and crawled to the edge of the bed. "It better be" she breathed out before reaching around her back to unclasp her bra. Gold put the tray down on the bedside table and crawled on to the bed with Belle, pushing her onto her back and grabbing the chocolate, began to draw little swirly patterns all over her exposed skin.

Belle moaned at the warmness of the chocolate and tried to pull Gold down to her. He got the hint, and quickly shrugged off his suit jacket, shirt, and under shirt. He decided to work his way up her body, starting at the waist line of her skirt. He went slowly, making sure there wasn't a single drop of chocolate left on any part of her. He could tell that he was driving Belle crazy by the way she was writhing beneath him, begging him for more. He avoided her breasts on purpose, deciding to save them for last and began licking at the chocolate off of her neck.

He bit down on her flesh making her scream. He continued working on her neck until he was sure there would be a nice bruise there for her to show off. He wanted everyone to know that she was his. Feeling her frustration he licked his way down to her breasts. He cleaned away the chocolate between the valley of her breasts and then unexpectedly flicked her right nipple with his tongue making her gasp. He took the perk little bud into his mouth, gently sucking. Then cleaning up the rest of the chocolate on her right breast, moved to her left, repeating the same motions. He looked up at her, his eyes dark with passion, but not darker than hers.

Without tearing his eyes away from hers he found the zipper to her skirt and pulled it down, letting her shimmy out of it. Then he hooked his finger around the soft lace of her panties and dragged them down her smooth legs. She kicked them off and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer and grinding up against him.

He let out a low groan before grabbing one of the strawberries. He took a small bite and then made a trail with the juices from her mouth all the way down her stomach to his intended target. He kissed her then, enjoying the taste of strawberries on her lips. Then he made his way down her stomach, stopping when he was finally between her creamy thighs. He looked up, to ask for permission, but Belle's head was already thrown back against the pillows in anticipation. He took a moment to take in her scent, making his erection even harder than it already was. He pushed his hips into the bed, trying to get a little friction then tentatively reached out to taste her.

She yelped, bucking her hips up against him. He grabbed her legs, pushing them up and over his shoulders, and he took a long, slow lick, flicking her clit. She dug her nails into his scalp, pushing his head back down, and he grinned. He sought out every place that made her scream in pleasure. He worked her thoroughly before giving in and paying extra attention to her hard pearly nub. She screamed his name, no doubt disturbing the neighbors. When he pushed two of his fingers inside her she came undone. Breathing heavily when she came down from her high.

Then she flipped him over. "My turn" she grinned. Gold nearly came right then. The look in her eyes was positively hungry. She looked like she wanted to eat him alive. Straddling him, she grabbed the chocolate and began to pour the same little designs he had drawn on her. She then grabbed a strawberry and brought it to his lips, for him to take a bite out of it. He sucked the whole thing into his mouth before biting down and moaning appreciatively. She then took what was left of the strawberry and ate the rest of it herself. She licked her fingers clean and bent down to start cleaning off his neck. She marked him in the same spot he had marked her. "Now we'll match" she whispered in his ear.

She licked him from the waist of his paints to his chest, swirling her tongue around his nipple before doing it again, and again until all the chocolate was gone. She took his belt off and unzipped his pants, pulling his boxers down with them. She took him in her hand and he thrusted up into her hand. Deciding he couldn't take her teasing he flipped them over and pinned her hands up over her head. "I need to be inside you" he breathed out.

Positioning himself at her entrance, she wrapped her legs instinctively around her waist, and he pushed slowly inside her. They clung to each other, the feeling of being so close to one another almost to pleasurable to bear. She gyrated her hips and getting the hint, he pulled out and thrusted back into her hard. They set up a fast, desperate rhythm. He was pounding into with such a ferocity that he thought for a second he might be hurting her. But she only held him tighter, moaned louder, and ran her nails down his back, whenever he hit a particularly sensitive spot.

"Nick" she screamed. "So... close" she moaned. He reached a hand between him and pinched her clit. He felt her walls convulse around him and he lost it, coming inside her. They collapsed onto the bed, holding onto each other for dear life.

He pulled the covers over them when he felt Belle shiver. He slipped out of her and rolled them over so she could rest her head against his chest. "I'm not done with you yet" she mumbled against his chest, and he smiled, running his fingers through her hair.

"You aren't the only one dearie" he told her, but she was already asleep. Shortly after he let his own eyes flutter closed and joined her.


	5. Holding Hands

The shrill of an alarm woke the two lovers out of their peaceful slumber. Belle had her face buried in Gold's hair, with one arm draped over his chest. He had both arms around her waist, and his good leg was covering both of hers. "Turn it off" she mumbled into his neck.

He reached over to the bedside table and searched blindly for the snooze button. Not having any luck, and not wanting to open his eyes, he grabbed the annoyingly shrieking box and pulled, disconnecting it from its wires. "You'll have to pay for that" Belle told him.

Gold obviously didn't care. "We have to get up. Go to auction" he muttered, still half asleep. He lazily ran a hand through Belle's hair, gently massaging her scalp, making her moan appreciatively.

"I don't want to get up, I just went to bed." Gold laughed sleepily, remembering everything that had happened last night. They had made love three other times throughout the night, not including the times where they woke each other up by sliding under the covers and burying their faces in-between each others thighs. The bowl of chocolate was empty and the strawberries had been eaten.

Gold opened his eyes an looked over at his sleepy partner. "Whose fault is that?" he asked her in a teasing voice.

She snuggled closer to him, the arm flung over his chest pulling him closer. "I believe it's yours" she scolded him.

He flipped her onto her back hovering over her, staring into her startling blue eyes. "Oh it's just my fault is it?" he said tickling her sides.

Belle's laughter filled the room and she begged for him to stop. "Can't... breathe..." she gasped out in-between giggles. Gold finally took mercy on her and laid back down on his side, facing her. "It's not my fault you're so irresistible" she told him. "I guess we should get up, I have to wash all of this chocolate off of me anyway" she laughed.

Gold just smiled at her, absentmindedly playing with strand of her hair. "Nick?"

"Hmm?" He looked down and saw a hint of worry in her eyes. "What wrong Belle?"

Belle took a deep breath, afraid what he might say when she started this conversation. "It's just, when we go back to Storybrooke, are things going to change?" Seeing his confusion she continued. "I mean, last night wasn't just some one-time thing for you was it? We are going to be together from now on, right? You won't shut me out again?"

Gold looked at how nervous she appeared to be. He hated that she would think that, but she had every reason to believe he would leave her in the dust. This weekend had been fabulous, but they didn't have all of Storybrooke breathing down their necks. They didn't have to worry about people staring at them while they were dining. Would things just go back to normal when they returned home? No. No, he couldn't let that happen, he decided looking at the beauty in his arms, that wanted to be in his arms. "Would you like to go to dinner on Tuesday? Granny's and then a movie at my place?" he asked her.

Belle reached up to give him a kiss. "Nothing could make me happier" she beamed up at him. "Now why don't we take a nice long shower" she suggested, slipping out of bed and walking slowly to the bathroom, making sure to put a little extra sway in her hips. Gold gazed after her, his desire already growing. Belle looked back over her shoulder, "Aren't you coming?" she asked a strangely pure and innocent voice.

The sound of her voice broke his concentration and he got out of bed, limping over to her. His ankle wasn't doing to well this morning and he winced a little as he walked, not knowing where he threw his cane last night. Belle rushed to his side, wrapping an arm around his waist and helping him walk. "Still sure you want this old cripple, love?" he joked with her.

She stopped and stood in front of, looking up into his eyes. "I've never been more sure of anything" she promised. "And you're not that old." He seemed to like that answer, because they spent almost an hour in the tiny hotel shower.

They walked hand-in-hand through the auction, picking up a few more items they found interesting. "What do you think of these Nick?" Belle asked, pointing to an old set of marionette puppets. "They're certainly interesting" she commented.

He glanced them over, deciding they were odd enough for his shop. "They do have character" he said. "What do you suppose they're worth?" he asked Belle.

Belle picked up one of the puppets, examining it's condition. "It seems to be the original wood. There's a carving at the bottom of the foot, it looks like Gepetto. Probably the puppet maker. The material of the clothes is in excellent condition. I don't know much about Gepetto though. I'll have to do some research."

Gold nodded his head. "Nevertheless I find them strangely familiar, we're getting them. So, take a guess at the price" he told Belle who rolled her eyes at them.

"Well, I guess I'd say they could sell for up to $150 individually. I'm also guessing that once you buy them you don't plan on selling them." Gold smirked at her, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "I wouldn't pay more than $225 for the pair though, they'll be assuming you want some sort of profit."

Gold let go of her hand in favor of wrapping it around her waist. "This is why I brought you with me, among other reasons" he raised his eyebrows at her suggestively and she giggled into his chest, trying to hide her blush from the other buyers around them.

He ended up paying $300 for the puppets and even though Belle was slightly disappointed, he was happy with his purchase. They left after that, not seeing anything else really worth their attention. They were having all of their purchases delivered to the shop, so they didn't have to worry about packing up boxes.

Back at their rooms, Belle was just shoving her clothes from yesterday into her bag. She also wanted to change into her jeans. Gold walked in through their adjoining door and snuck up behind her as she was pulling on her jeans. She ended up tripping over her shoes and landed in Gold's arms.

"Jesus, Nick! You scared me half to death" she exclaimed.

He pulled her back up into a standing position and she proceeded to button and zip up her jeans. "Sorry love. I just couldn't resist" he smiled, leaning in for a quick kiss. "Are you all ready to go. I thought we could get a late lunch in the city somewhere, if you'd like."

Belle used him as a support as she pulled her heels on. "I'd love that" she said. "We should go to Faneuil Hall! That way we have a large selection of food to choose from, and we could do a little shopping" she grinned at him. He sighed throwing her bag onto his. "Oh you don't have to do that, I can carry it."

He waved her off, "My bag has wheels love, it's no trouble. I want to." She smiled at him and grabbing her purse, linked her fingers through his and they made their way to his car.

They ended up getting lost on the way to Faneuil Hall, but to them that only meant an extra hour they had to themselves. When they finally arrived, Belle was so overwhelmed by all of the food options. She ended up getting a little bit of italian, chinese, indian, and a cup of clam chowder. "We can just share everything. You feed me, then I feed you, it'll be adorable" she teased him.

Their meal was good. Then after they each got an ice cream cone and walked in and out of all of the shops. They talked more about their pasts, about Belle's travels and Gold even told her about his son.

"I knew that" she told him. "I saw a picture on your desk" she admitted.

"I'm surprised you didn't ask about him earlier, being as nosy as you are" he laughed and Belle hit him, laughing along with him.

"I wanted to" she admitted. "But I would catch you looking at it a lot, and you would always get this sad look in your eyes. I figured something must have happened and that if you wanted to share, you would." Belle squeezed his hand. "You don't have to talk about him if you don't want to Nick" she told him, giving him an option to avoid this conversation.

"No. I want to tell you. I don't want to keep things from you" he decided. "His name is Baden, Bae for short. His mother and I had a nasty divorce, and I mean nasty. I ended up getting custody of Bae, who was only five at the time, that's when we came to Storybrooke. I already my millions by that point and that's when I bought the town. He never really liked me all that much. He didn't like the kind of person I am. He wanted to leave a couple years ago, move back to Scotland. I told him no, that I had to stay here because there was nothing for us in Scotland, which there wasn't. The truth was, I had become a bit power hungry. I liked having control over Storybrooke, and I still do. Anyway, he ended up leaving, I haven't seen or heard from him in two years. He'll be twenty next week."

They had sat down on a bench half way through his story, and Belle was holding on to him, her head resting on his shoulder. "I'm glad you told me" she said. "Now I know you better."

"You're the only one who does, or who wants to for that matter." He grabbed his cane and stood off the bench, taking her with him. "Still okay with the age thing, now that you know I have a twenty year old son?" he joked.

She laughed and linked her arm through his. "You're only twenty years older than me. My parents were twenty-three years apart. I think that's why my dad is actually okay with us." they turned into another store and Belle immediately gravitated to the jewelry case. She had her nose pressed up against the glass, admiring a simple gold chain necklace, with a small gold pendant.

"See something you like?" the store clerk asked her.

Belle looked up, "Yes, but it's out of my price range unfortunately."

Gold came up behind her, letting his hand fall to the small of her back. "But nothing is out of mine. What is it you like?"

Belle shook her head. "Nick, I'm not going to let you pay for it" she told him sternly.

"Nonsense, tell me what you're admiring." Belle pointed to the necklace, but told him again that he didn't have to buy it for her. "I'll take it" he told the clerk, ignoring Belle's protests.

"Nick, you don't need to buy me anything. I'll survive without it" she told him.

He handed the clerk his credit card and turned to Belle. "You might have been able to survive, but I wouldn't have." The clerk handed him his receipt and the necklace. Gold took the necklace out of it's case and motioned for Belle to turn. "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I passed up an opportunity to make you happy" he said while clasping the necklace. Belle turned and touched the pendant. "Wow."

She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you" she whispered to him. Pulling away she gives him a quick kiss before they leave the store and head back to the parking garage. "So, now that we are a couple, do we get to have crazy and wild sex in the back of the shop?" she asked as they got into the car.

Gold let out a groan and slid into the driver's seat. "I suppose, if it's a slow day" he said with a devilish grin. Belle smiled, it was always a slow day.

The drive back didn't seem to take as long as the drive there. Before they knew it they were parked in front of her father's shop. There were a few people out and about on the street, and they all stopped to watch Gold get out of the car and open the door for Belle. When Gold pulled her in for a kiss, the two swore they could hear some of the townspeople's gasps.

"Well" Belle breathed against his lips, "that will certainly have them talking" she said before diving back into his lips for another passionate kiss. She grabbed her bag out of his trunk and with one last quick kiss, she stepped inside the flower shop.

Her father was there to greet her. "How was your trip?" he asked taking her bag.

Belle couldn't stop the grin from coming across her features. "It was wonderful" she sighed.

Moe laughed as she outstretched her arms and did a little twirl. "I take it you and Gold are an item now?" he guessed.

"We are" she confessed. "That means you two will have to get along from now on" she said. Moe looked ready to protest but Belle stopped him. "Don't worry, i'll make sure he's on his best behavior from now on" she teased. "And I already warned him that you're probably going to go find him to have one of those father-to-boyfriend chats, so you can threaten him to your hearts content then."

He would be threatening Gold to his hearts content. He seemed to make her happy, almost deliriously so, but if he did anything to take away his daughter's smile, he would surely kill him. "I will be stopping by soon enough" he told her. "Have to protect my little girl." Belle gave him the 'not a little girl' look, then smiled.


	6. Give 'em Something to Talk About

**A little more fluff before I get into the serious business. Yes I caved and changed the rating to M ;) more sexy times coming up in the next chapter.**

* * *

The following Monday was jam packed with ridiculous questions and speculations. Belle had barely made it out of Granny's alive. The walk to the pawn shop, no matter how short it was, was worse. People kept staring at her, like she was a disease or something. She tried not to let it bother her, and it really didn't; it was just annoying.

Ruby was only mad that she wasn't the first to know. The fact that Ruby was standing by her through this made Belle feel a lot better about the nosy townsfolk.

There were already rumors floating around that she was sleeping with Gold to pay off her father's debts. Another was that Belle was marrying him so he could stay in the country, and them kissing in public was just a way of making it believable. The most ridiculous of all was that Gold had brainwashed her into thinking they were a couple so he could live out his dark sexual fantasies. When she walked by the women who had made that speculation she couldn't bite her tongue fast enough and said, "I don't need to be brainwashed for that to happen."

Of course, the wording she used made people think that he was forcing her to do him sexual favors. She would be kicking herself for a long time for that mistake. Gold had warned her on the drive back that this would happen. She was prepared for it, but she hoped that it would at least die down by the end of the week.

She opened the door to the pawn shop, walking straight to the backroom to find Gold sitting at his desk. He was working on the necklace again, and apparently hadn't noticed her presence. "Will that thing ever be perfect?"

Gold smirked, "Nothing, besides you, is" he told her. Belle rolled her eyes, walking around the desk to sit in his lap.

"That was quite a line." She teased him. "If I wasn't already dating you, I'd want to start." He pinched her side as punishment for teasing him and she jumped from surprise. He held up the necklace, inspecting it. Then he held up to Belle, wanting to put it one her.

"Let me just see how it looks on you" he pleaded. Belle sighed and turned so he could clasp it around her neck. It was heavy, elegant, far too extravagant and it made her feel very small.

"Not quite my style" she admitted unclasping it and handing it back to him. She grabbed the small golden charm that he had bought for her yesterday. "But this" she gestured to her new necklace, "this is perfect." She was about to give him a kiss when the sound of coughing interrupted them.

Belle looked up and immediately got off of Gold's lap. He stood as well, "Mayor Mills." Belle looked at the woman, she had changed a bit in the last ten years but when she smiled at her, Belle cringed. She could never forget that smile. "How may I help you today?" Gold asked her, his voice cold and distant.

"I just need to speak with you for a moment" she said, trying to sound pleasant. She then looked to Belle, "Alone." Belle nodded and made her way to the front of the shop.

"What do you want Regina?" Gold asked bitterly. "Knowing you it can't be good."

Regina ignored his comment. "I have a problem, a Miss. Emma Swan."

Gold thought about the name, wracking his brain for answers. "Can't say I'm familiar with her. What's seems to be the problem?"

Regina leaned over his desk. "I think you know exactly who I'm talking about. She's Henry's birth mother, and she's here. I want her gone."

Gold grinned, laughing just enough to make Regina's rage expand. "Sorry dearie. This is your problem. I don't have to do anything for you." Gold guided her to the front of the shop, walking behind the counter to stand next to Belle. "You can leave now."

Regina glared at him. "I hope you to are very happy together." It sounded more like a threat than a congratulations. Then she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

"Well that sounded sincere" Belle muttered. "What did she want? She wasn't here for very long."

"She wanted my help in getting rid of someone." Belle's eyes widened, obviously thinking the worst. "Not in the way you're thinking, dear. I refused anyway." He limped over to the door and flipped the sign to closed.

"Who did she want you to get rid of?" Belle asked, clearly not ready to drop the conversation.

"So many questions" he teased her. "Why don't I answer them over breakfast." Belle smiled at him. "It is only 8:00AM. Surely there must be something at Granny's that you'd like to at the very least snack on."

"You don't have to try so hard to persuade me" she giggled. "Though it is fun watching you do so." She set her tea down on the counter and walked over to him, lacing her fingers through his as he opened the door for her. "Maybe we can share something. Pancakes or maybe a Belgium waffle?"

He smiled pulling her closer, "Whatever you like dear."

"You just want to cause an even bigger stir in this town by going to breakfast, don't you?" She asked him, slightly amused.

"Why can't I just want to sit down and share a waffle with the most beautiful woman in town? There doesn't always have to be a motive." Belle sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "There can be perks every now and again."

"I knew it" she mumbled against his shoulder.

They sat down at a booth, right in the center of the diner, so everyone could stare at them. Ruby came over to take their orders. "I'll spit in their food for you if you want" she told them.

"That won't be necessary Miss. Lucas, I'll just raise their rent." Gold raised his voice for the last part and suddenly everyone had turned around and gone back to eating and reading the paper. "I'm going to have a cup of earl grey" Belle gave him a look. "make that two, and was it the Belgium waffle you wanted?" Belle nodded at him. "That'll be all Miss. Lucas. Oh, could we get strawberries on the waffle please, and perhaps some chocolate on the side?" Ruby nodded and Gold looked back to Belle with a smug look on his face.

Ruby scribbled everything down and walked over to the next table. "So, who does Regina want you to 'exterminate'?" Belle asked him.

"Exterminate? That sounds a bit extreme, even for a monster like me." Belle giggled and reached over to grab his hands.

"You're not a monster. They just, don't know you like I do." Gold smiled at her. "So..." she prompted.

"Her name is Emma Swan, she's Henry's biological mother." Belle looked at him, confused. Henry was ten, and Belle had been gone for ten years, she hadn't met the boy yet. The mayor did keep him on a tight leash. "Henry is Regina's adoptive son. He's ten, that's why you don't know him. She wants me to get rid of Miss. Swan because I helped her with the adoption."

Ruby brought their tea, and the unlocked their hands for a moment so she could place the cups down. "Your order should be ready soon" she told them.

"So, do you even know this woman?" Belle asked, sipping her tea.

"I barely recognized the name" he admitted. "I'm assuming that young Henry was the one to seek her out, because she asked for a closed adoption." Belle was about to speak up when the woman in question butted in to the conversation.

"You assume right." Emma Swan sat at the table across from theirs. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, that was about me." Belle smiled apologetically. "So Regina is really so threatened by me that she went to you to get rid of me. You must be pretty terrifying."

Gold grinned. "You have no idea. I wouldn't take her threats lightly Miss Swan. She always keeps her word." Ruby came over with their waffle, but she forgot the chocolate sauce and ran back quickly to get it.

"Who puts chocolate on waffles?" Emma asked, turning back to the paper she was reading.

Gold turned to her, "Well you're a little spit fire aren't you. I can see why Regina doesn't like you."

Belle put her hand on his arm, calming him. "Nick, play nice" she warned him.

Gold wasn't done though. "And who said it was for the waffle?" He saw Emma's eyes widen as they turned to Belle, who was incredibly red in the face and glaring at him. "Enjoy that paper Miss Swan." Emma left as soon as Ruby came by the table with their chocolate, and that made Gold pleased. He looked at Belle and feigned innocence. "What? She was listening in on our conversation, it _was_ rude." he was trying to defend himself, but Belle's stare was wearing him down.

"This is why I'm your only friend Nick." He tried to smile at her, but failed miserably. She reached for his hand, sensing his discomfort. "So, what is, the chocolate for?" She winked at him and a devilish grin graced his features.

The rest of their breakfast was lovely. When Belle got a little drop of chocolate sauce stuck on the corner of her mouth, the entire diner stopped and gawked openly as gold leaned across the table to wipe it away with a long, slow kiss.

They finished their breakfast and walked hand-in hand back to the shop. "So you don't mind all of the chatter that's gonna be going on, about us?" Belle shrugged her shoulders.

"The only thing that bothers me is that everyone thinks so lowly of you. I don't care if they gossip about us. Some people are just cruel, though." she sighed.

Gold could sense there was something specific she was thinking about. "Anyone specific?"

She gave him a stern look. "I'm not gonna give you a list of people that you can go terrorize." Gold pouted at her and she laughed, tilting her head up to kiss his protruded lip. "I actually helped to start the worst rumor."

"Starting rumors about us, dear? I hope they're all dirty." he teased. She smacked his shoulder and laughed with him.

"I was waking out of the diner and I heard some women talking about how you had brainwashed me so you could fulfill your dark fantasies and I tuned to them and told them you didn't have to brainwash me to fulfill them. So now people think you're forcing me into your bed."

Belle thought he might be upset, but instead he let out a huge bellow of a laugh, going so far as to tilt his head back. "Trust me dear, you'll know when we're reenacting one of my fantasies." That made a shiver crawl down Belle's back.

"When might these fantasies... take place?" she asked him, trying to get details.

He pulled out his key, opening the door to the shop. "Right now if you like" he whispered, keeping the door sign turned to closed and pulling the shade down.


	7. Love

The following week proved to be challenging. The gossiping hadn't simmered down in the least. It was sunday night, and Belle was curled up against Gold on his couch, head rested on his shoulder. She had fallen asleep about half way through the movie, but he didn't have the heart to wake her. He turned off the television and adjusting the pillow behind him, laid down pulling Belle with him. She stirred a little, but settled right back against his chest with a smile on her face. He pulled the blanket they'd been sharing over her and kissed the top of her head.

Belle woke that following morning to a loud knocking on the door. She looked down at Gold who was still in a deep sleep. She rolled off the couch as gently and quietly as she could. There was another knock. Belle searched around for her jeans but couldn't find them anywhere. All she had on was Gold's shirt. Another knock had Gold groaning and rubbing his eyes. Belle ran to the door to stop whoever was disturbing him from his sleep.

When she opened the door she saw Graham. "Is there a problem sheriff?" she asked him.

She could tell Graham was trying very hard not to look at her bare legs. "The neighbors called, said that Gold had forced you into his house. They said you were trapped all night and needed help escaping."

Belle just rolled her eyes. She knew that Graham didn't believe the neighbors. "You know that's not true. Why didn't you tell them that?" Belle was irritated. She had put up with a week of these incessant rumors and the people she had thought were on her side, weren't helping to stop them.

"I tried, Belle." he tried to tell her. "I really did, but they were very adamant about it. I thought it would be better if I woke you up, rather than them." Belle crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling very exposed. "I'm trying to convince the town that what you have with him is a genuine relationship."

Belle could sense there was something else he wanted to say, "But?"

Graham clenched and unclenched his fists, wiping the sweat off on is pants. "But, I think part of the reason why everyone keeps insisting that he's..."

"Paying me?"

Graham nodded his head, very uncomfortable with the situation. "... is that your relationship did move a bit fast." His words caught Belle by surprise. "One minute you were his employee and the next you have a very open sexual relationship. The town is just worried about you."

"How fast or slow our relationship is moving is nobody's business. It's _our_ relationship, and you can tell them that." she said as she slammed the door in his face.

"Who was that?" Belle turned around at the sound of Gold's voice. He had clearly just rolled off the couch. His hair was tousled and his shirt was wrinkled. He still had on his suit pants, since they had never actually made it to the bedroom.

"It was the sheriff. The neighbors thought that I was in trouble." she huffed and he laughed.

He limped over to her, his ankle not doing so well this morning. He wrapped his free hand around her waist and yanked her closer. "Do you want to be in trouble?" he asked her heatedly. He trailed kisses along her neck and jaw-line and she moaned at the contact. "I could lock you in my bedroom for the rest of your days and have my wicked way with you."

Belle laughed heartily, pulling away from him slightly. "You don't think we're moving too fast do you?" she asked him, turning the conversation into a serious one.

Gold suddenly became very nervous. "Why? Do you?" his voice was a little panicky and Belle immediately regretted bringing this up.

"No." she said urgently. "God no, I just... Graham said the reason the town has been so, obnoxious is that we went from co-workers to lovers overnight." Gold's eyes were unreadable and she reached up to stroke his cheek tenderly. "I have no problems or objections to that at all. None. All I want is to be with you." That seemed to calm him down.

He leaned in to kiss her and she responded instantly, lightly sucking on his lower lip. "Would you like some breakfast?" he asked against her lips.

"I'd like that very much." After breakfast, they each showered and got dressed. Then they made their way to the shop. They opened the blinds and turned the sign to open. "Is the delivery man coming today?" Belle asked.

Gold made his way behind the counter. "I believe so, yes." He went behind the painting on the wall that hid his safe and unlocked it to pull out the necklace he'd been working on for the past month.

Belle leaned against the opposite side of the counter, admiring its beauty. "Are you ever going to be done with it?" she asked him.

He smiled fondly at her. "Never." he whispered to her. When Belle looked up to him she noticed that he wasn't looking at the necklace as he spoke, he was looking at her. "I'll never be done with you." he told her. Belle sucked in a breath, startled slightly by his confession. She knew that she felt the same way, but what graham had said earlier was still ringing in her ears. What if they were moving too fast. "I know you're still thinking about what the sheriff said this morning. I know that we are moving rather quickly, but... I don't need to move slow to know how strongly I feel about you. This isn't just some fling for me, Belle. This is real."

Belle was sure she had a tear in her eye. Whatever fears or doubts she might have had about him were washed away with his words. She reached across the counter to grab his hands. "I feel the same way." They shared an intense look, staring into each other. They stayed there for a few moments, leaning across the counter. Not speaking, not kissing. They just held onto each other, they didn't need to exchange words in order to know how they felt.

After their shipment form the auction had arrived and they had unpacked and organized everything, Belle left to grab their lunch. Shortly after, Moe French walked in. "Gold?" he called out, luring the pawnbroker out from his office.

"Mr. French. Belle told me you would be stopping by to have a chat at some point." his voice was calm and collected. Moe just nodded. "Would you like to sit down?" he asked, trying to be polite.

"No, this won't take long. I just wanted to tell you that I've never seen my daughter happier than she's been this past week. She told me you were the reason." Gold smiled, hearing how happy his Belle was. "I don't know how much she's told you, about our life, but it hasn't been easy. If you hurt her, Gold, I will end you. I don't care how powerful you think you are."

Gold held up his hand, "If I hurt her Mr. French, I'll help you destroy myself. I care deeply for your daughter and the only intentions I have are to treat her as best I can and give her everything she deserves and more."

Moe reached out his hand to Gold, "I suppose we can both agree to put our differences aside, for her sake then." Gold grabbed his hand and they shook.

"Why don't you join us for dinner this weekend. Does Saturday work for you? Around seven?" Moe genuinely smiled at his offer.

"I believe it's the father who's supposed to have the boyfriend over for dinner." The two men laughed.

"I'll see you Saturday then? Your place?"

Moe took his hand back and stuffed it into his pocket. "Which one of us is going to tell Belle?"

Just then the bell on the front door rang, "Tell Belle what?" the woman in question asked. "Dad? What on earth are you doing in here?"

Belle gave her father a hug then walked over to the counter to lay their lunch out. "We were just having a little chat." Belle raised her eyebrows, looking back and forth between the two. "We'll be having Mr. Gold over for dinner this Saturday." Belle looked to Gold, surprised.

"Why do you look so shocked, dear?" he chuckled at her.

"No, reason" she smirked. She reached into the to-go bag and pulled out a small container, "I got you extra pickles."

He immediately reached for the container. "Why, thank you." she smiled at him and when he brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes, she leaned into his touch. Moe looked on at the small display of affection. This was a whole new side to Gold. He was being tender and sweet. His daughter had truly found a man beneath the monster.

"I'll see you at home Belle." he said, leaving the shop.

Belle opened one of the containers, revealing a grilled cheese sandwich, she then opened the container of tomato soup and dipped the sandwich into the broth. "So, did he threaten you?" she asked nibbling on her sandwich.

Gold laughed as he munched on his pickles. "Not too terribly. Nothing I couldn't handle anyway."

Belle hummed and took another bite of her sandwich. "So, Ruby invited me to a girls night..." she let her sentence trail, silently hoping he would object.

"You should go. I don't want to keep you from your friends." He eyed her carefully, waiting for her response.

"You don't!" she told him. "I love being with you, all day, everyday. It's tonight... the girl's night. We're going to the Rabbit Hole."

Gold put his container of pickles down on the counter, wiping his fingers on a napkin. "It sounds to me, like you're trying to use me as an excuse to leave this little party, early." he said mostly amused, slightly thrilled that she'd rather spend her Monday night with him, cuddled on the couch doing nothing.

Belle bit her lip nervously. "I might be" she mumbled. "I wanted to say no, but she just kept staring at him with those puppy dog eyes and I couldn't say no. So, I told her we had plans, and that you would be picking me up at around ten."

"I guess I can come save you from Ruby's crazy partying." he teased her. "Will you be having dinner with me then, or no?"

"I'll definitely be having dinner with you, and desert" she told him, putting on the sexiest face she could manage without bursting into a fit of giggles.

Ruby came to pick Belle up at around 8:00 from Gold's house. She put a little black dress on, that was very tight and showed off her curves perfectly. She hid it from Gold with her jacket, hoping to thoroughly seduce him later. She got into the front seat of Ruby's car and they were off. "So how's Gold?" Ruby asked, starting up a conversation.

"He's wonderful" Belle sighed. Ruby glanced over at her devilish grin, and then putting two and two together reflexively gagged.

"You just had sex with him, didn't you?" Ruby was shocked and a little jealous.

"Well, not completely..." she trailed off. "It's really none of your business what we do behind closed doors" Belle teased her, knowing it was making her squirm in her seat.

"Ugh. I don't want to here about what Gold's like in bed anyway." They pulled up to the Rabbit Hole. "No guy talk tonight. It's girl's night." Ruby instructed her.

They walked in and sat down at a table that Mary Margaret, Ashley Boyd, and Emma Swan were already seated at. Belle recognized Emma immediately and sat down next to her. "Hey, Emma. How have you been?"

Emma smiled over her glass. "Fine. I decided to stick around for a while."

"That's good. I'm sure Henry's thrilled. You must be dying to get to know him." Belle inquired.

Emma shrugged her shoulders sadly. "I'm afraid Regina is putting up a bit of a road block around that possibility."

Ruby interrupted their conversation with introductions. "Belle, you probably remember Ashley and Mary-Margaret." The two woman waved at her and gushed over how sexy her dress was.

Belle looked at them closely before truly recognizing them. "Oh, of course. I haven't really seen much of you two since I've been back."

The five of them gossiped and laughed for a couple of hours. When Belle noticed the clock had struck ten, she told her companions that Gold would be waiting for her outside and that it was her time to go. Just as she stood up from the table, she Gold enter the bar. He was searching the crowd for her, but even when she waved he didn't notice since it was so crowded. She said her goodbyes and started to cross the room, when Garret stepped in front of her.

He was clearly drunk off his ass and Belle tried once again to get Gold's attention but he was completely blind to her. She looked back to her friends but they were busy taking another round of shots. "This is where we first met" he slurred out. His breath reeked of whiskey and Belle gagged on the smell.

"Get out of my way Garret." she told him firmly, trying to push her way past him. He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him. Belle pushed away from him but he was over powering her. "Nick!" she screamed out, hoping he would hear her over the music.

"Just one kiss Belle. Then tell me that old cripple is better than me." He ducked his head in crashing his lips against hers and she yanked back, spitting on him.

"Nick!" she screamed again trying to pull free. Garret tried to lean in to kiss her again but she used her free hand to punch him square in the jaw. He stumbled back from sheer surprise, still keeping his vice like grip on her arm. Then without warning he drew his arms back and slapped her hard across the face. Belle would've fallen over if he hadn't been holding her up. The crowd went quiet at the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

Belle brought her hand up to cradle the side of her face that he had hit, she could already feel it bruising and winced as she blinked her eyes. Then he released her. Then she heard him crumple onto the floor. She lifted her head up to see Gold standing there, staring down at an unconscious Garret, his cane raised in one hand. He looked over at her and offered his hand to her. She ignored his hand and opted for falling into his arms instead. He wrapped his free arm around her, holding her tight against him. "It's alright, dear. I'm here now, you're safe." he whispered into her hair. "He's never going to come near you again. I'll make sure of it." he promised her.

"Can you just bring me home?" she asked in a small voice, without lifting her head from his chest. He lead her out of the bar, sending death glares to anyone that even bothered to look in their general direction. He opened the car door for her and she reluctantly let go of him and slid into the seat.

He was about to go around to his own seat when Ruby stopped him. "Mr. Gold!" He stopped moving and turned to face her. "Is Belle alright? What on earth happened?"

He tried to stay calm but his temper got the best of him. "Next time you invite Belle out with you, why don't you at least pretend you care about her! You knew she didn't want to go out with you lot! This was just some sort of plot to break us up wasn't it? Well, sorry to break it to you dearie, but that's never going to happen! I love her!"

The car door opened behind him and the realization of what he just said hit him full force. He was afraid to turn around. His body was stiff as a board until he felt her hand on his shoulder. He turned slowly to face her, mentally preparing himself for her rejection. He looked at the light bruising already appearing near her eye and he couldn't help himself. He let his fingertips trail along the bruising, light as feathers, as if he could magically heal her.

"You love me?" Belle asked him timidly.

He gulped, "Well that depends..."

Belle smiled at him, "On what?"

Looking into her eyes, he knew there was no way he could talk his way out of this. He admitted he loved her. After a month of working together and a week of dating, he loved her. "On nothing." her smile stayed in place. "I... I love you, Belle."

She stared up at him with wonder for a moment before pulling him down into a soft kiss. Her lips moved beneath his, warm and loving. When he ran his tongue along her lower lip she shivered and opened up to him, letting him explore her mouth. Her hands grasped at his hair, tugging him closer. She let her tongue dance with his, enjoying the little battle they had going on. When she pulled away, she was panting hard, still centimeters away from his mouth. "I love you, Nick."

From that moment on everything seemed to move in slow motion. The car ride back to his house was a blur. The shedding of their clothing was a blur. All that mattered was skin against skin. Lips moving against lips. Their hearts beating in time with one another, creating a connection that hadn't been there before. All that mattered was them, loving each other into the night.


	8. The Morning After Brings Unpleasant News

**Warning: this chapter contains smut. ;)**

* * *

Gold was the first one to wake, his eyes glazed over with the remnants of sleep as he gazed upon Belle. She was laying face down, her arms curled up under the pillow, the sheets pooling around her waist. The rise and fall of her chest proving to him that this was real, that she was real. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to wake her up and make love to her again and again until neither of them could lift a measly finger. He straddled her, making sure not to put any of his weight on her yet. He leaned forward and began pressing open mouthed kisses along her spine.

Belle's eyes fluttered open at his touch. She smiled into the pillow, thinking of last night and how wonderful it had been. The most feared man in town loved her. She had never felt more happy or safe as she did in this moment. He had cherished her last night. He made her feel like she was the only thing in the entire universe that mattered. Last night when he was inside her, it felt different than before, like they had become one. They formed an unbreakable bond, one that he seemed to want to make again this morning, which she was more than happy to do.

She turned over so her chest was exposed to his hungry eyes. She pushed the sheets down to the edge of the bed and wrapping her legs around him, pulled him down to her. She clawed at his back as he sucked on her neck. She arched her back, mouth agape when he reached between them and slipped a finger into her sopping folds. She thrusted up against his hand, trying to get more contact than what he was giving.

She could feel him, hard against her thigh and she knew he needed it just as badly as she did. Hooking her leg on his she flipped them over. He gripped her hips, pulling her closer to him and grinding up against her causing her to throw her head back. "Nick!" she moaned loudly. He smiled smugly at her, and reached between her legs once more. He started pressing his thumb against her clit roughly, rolling and pinching it. He let his index and middle finger dip into her folds and rub in time with his thumb. "Oh God!" she yelled thrusting down against his hand.

"That's it Belle. Don't fight it. I want you to come fast." He increased the pressure with his thumb as he let his fingers enter her slightly. Belle's hands were gripping his shoulders, trying to stay upright. Her back was arched and her mouth was open in a perfect 'o' shape. "Come for me, Belle" he commanded her, and she did, hard, digging her nails into his shoulders as she screamed her pleasure.

Gold brought his fingers up to his lips, sucking her juices off of them. Belle watched the incredibly erotic motions and dived in to get a taste herself. She plunged her tongue past his lips and moaned into his mouth when she tasted herself on him. Without breaking away from his mouth she reached between them to position him at her entrance. He hissed when her hand grasped his aching cock. Belle pulled away from him breathless, sitting up a bit so she could sink down onto his length.

When he was completely sheathed inside her, she paused all movements for a chance to look down at him. There was so much passion and adoration glistening in his eyes. His hands were gripping her waist, slightly possessive which turned her on even more, knowing that he wouldn't let anyone else

near her. That she was his.

She began moving, slowly at first, just rocking back and forth, loving how whole she felt with him buried so deep inside of her. Then she lifted her hips, letting him slip almost all the out before dropping back down. She set up a painfully slow rhythm, wanting to prolong their pleasure as best she could. As she got closer and closer to her climax her movements became more and more erratic. Gold was thrusting up against her, matching her no longer rhythmic movements.

When she came, it was almost a surprise. The searing pleasure had snuck up on her, erupting throughout every vein in her body. Gold came with her, the feeling of her inner walls spasming around him making him lose the last shred of sanity he had left. Belle collapsed on top of him, burying her face in the crook of his neck, placing feather light kisses there, thanking him for the pleasure that he just brought to her.

Gold wrapped his arms around her, one hand resting between her shoulders and the other at the small of her back. He made a move to pull out of her, but she stopped him. "I just... want to.. feel you inside.. me a little... longer" she panted out. No man could refuse that plea, so he laid his head back against the pillows and closed his eyes, letting sleep over take his thoroughly sated body.

An hour or so later, he was woken up by the whistle of a kettle. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up. Belle must be making breakfast, he thought. Sure enough just as he slid his boxers on she walked through the bedroom door with a tray of tea and some scones that she had picked up yesterday.

"I thought we could break in that new tea set of yours" she winked at him. She set the tray down on the bed and climbed in next to him, sitting cross-legged. She reached for her cup of tea and took an experimental sip. Gold couldn't stop staring at her, and she was suddenly very self-conscious. "What? Do I have something on my face?" she asked bringing a hand to her cheek.

He grabbed her hand and pushed it back down to its place on her knee. "You're perfect." Belle blushed at the comment. There was no hint of teasing in his voice, his eyes were locked on her hers. "Why on earth do you love me?" he asked her brokenly.

Belle gave him a light smile, "Because you're perfect too."

Gold smiled doubtfully at her, but still leaned in to kiss her. The kiss spun out of control quickly. He pushed Belle down on her back and she somehow managed not to spill her tea. His lips were on hers again and Belle tried to blindly place the cup on the nightstand. She missed. The sound of the porcelain hitting the hardwood broke them out of the trance. Belle's eyes widened and she pushed him off of her so she could reach over the edge of the bed to inspect the damage.

Reaching for the cup she pulled it up and held it up to him. "It's chipped" she informed him, eyes full of sorrow and regret. "I'm so sorry, I know how much you loved that tea set. I can pay for it.." Gold cut her off with a kiss.

"I like it better this way." Then he was kissing her again. He would never get tired of kissing her. He cradled the back of her head, encouraging her to tilt her head back so he could explore her mouth further. He was already getting hard again. She wrapped her arms around the expanse of his shoulders, still clutching the now chipped tea cup, encouraging him to take things even further.

By the time either of them had the energy to move, it was past noon. They showered as fast as they could, and got dressed quickly, deciding they would stop by Granny's to get lunch before heading to the shop.

Gold opened his front door, as the pair was shocked to see Regina standing there, looking ready to knock. "What on earth are you doing here dearie?" Gold pushed Belle slightly behind him, and she smiled at his desire to protect her.

Regina straightened out her blazer and cleared her throat. "I know we have our differences Gold, but I'm actually here as a sort of friend." Gold scoffed at the word friend, for they were anything but.

"What pressing matter do you have to share with me, pal?" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He felt Belle's hand on his shoulder's trying to soften his bite.

"Cora." The name rang through his ears like a fire alarm. "She's coming for a visit."

"You said, she was in Japan with her new company, that she planned to stay there. Why on earth is she coming back?" Regina didn't smile at his frustration, because she felt the same way.

"You'll have to ask her." They stared at each other for a while, trying to silently form a plan in their minds that could stop this visit.

"Who's Cora? Why are you so worried about her?" Belle spoke up, trying to get in the loop.

Gold stiffened, unsure how to answer the question. Regina smirked at his uneasiness and turned to Belle to answer for him. "She's my mother. And you're boyfriends ex-lover." Belle's eyes looked ready to pop out of her head.

"So... what's so awful about her?" Belle asked timidly.

Gold tightened his hold on her waist. "Hopefully, you'll never have to find out." Belle tried to interject but Gold turned from her. "So, when is she coming?"

Regina pursed her lips, tugging on the sleeves of her blazer. "I'm not sure, she didn't say. The only information she gave me was that she was coming for a visit and would be staying for at least two weeks. She could be coming today for all we know. Why? You gonna abandon me and take your little girlfriend on an extended vacation?"

Belle flinched at the comment 'little girlfriend'. "Her name is Belle, Regina. I suggest you use it." Belle felt comforted knowing the comment seemed to bother him just as much as it did her. "Maybe we will. It's not like this town approves of our relationship anyway, I know you've done all you can to make sure of that." Regina didn't say a word. "How about it Belle? Wanna take a trip to some far off island where we can lounge on the beach and drink Mai-thais?"

Belle chuckled at the picture of him in a bathing suit. Did he even own one? "Nick, this woman can't possibly be that bad. At least she's just visiting, Garret actually lives here" she reminded him.

"Oh, he won't be living here much longer." Belle gave him a death glare, and he naturally defended himself. "He attacked you. He hit you. Did you really think I would just sit back and let the sheriff handle things?"

"As cute as this little coupley conversation of yours is, can we get back on topic?" Regina butted in.

"I don't think there's anything more to discuss dearie. I can handle Cora. I suggest you worry about the fact that you hid a grandson from her for the past ten years." Regina looked as if she got hit by a train. Without saying another word she turned around and walked down Gold's front steps and got back into her car and drove off.

Belle stepped in front of Gold, to stop him from leaving. "Don't I deserve to know at least a little something about this woman?"

He sighed and took her hand in his. "Belle, all you need to know is to stay away from her."

Belle didn't like that answer. She stood her ground, not afraid of the man standing in front of her. "How horrible is this woman?" she asked him again, annunciating each word.

"I'm afraid that's not my story to tell. Trust me when I say, it's one you don't want to hear." he left it at that, brushing past her and limping off to his car, leaving Belle standing in the doorway, anxious and confused.


	9. Sheet Forts in the Living Room

Another two weeks had passed and Regina still hadn't heard a word from her mother. That was really setting Gold on edge. Belle had tried to talk to him more about this Cora person, but he just kept blowing her off. She was trying to respect his choice to not tell her anything, but it was becoming difficult.

So Belle decided she would just have to force the truth out of him. She made an excuse to leave the shop early so she could go and sneak into his house to set up everything. She wanted to be a bit childish and transform the living room into one giant sheet fort. She raided his linen closet, finally appreciating that he actually had one. She pulled out several sets of impossibly soft silk sheets of various shades of gold and amber.

She hid the coffee table and lamps in one of the guest bedrooms. Then she strategically placed candles throughout the room. She started up the fire place and made sure all the blinds and windows were completely shut. Then she went through each bedroom and collected every single pillow. Once the fort was ready, she went to get changed.

She wanted to be alluring, but she didn't want him to just jump her the second he walked through the door either. She slipped on a powder blue negligee that was trimmed with a slightly darker blue lace. She also had a matching robe and she put that on as well, tying the sash tightly before going back downstairs to prepare their drinks.

Belle also went to the store beforehand to buy some fresh strawberries, and instead of chocolate she decided to make her own whipped cream. She put everything on a plate and placed it in the fort. She poured two glasses of scotch and just as the clock struck eight, Gold walked through the door, right on schedule. He saw the scantily clad Belle standing there in the doorway with the two glasses. "This is quite the lovely surprise." He took one of the glasses and gave Belle a long, slow kiss. "What's the occasion?" he asked sipping at his scotch.

Belle slipped her hands into his suit jacket and helped him slip it off. "Well," she grabbed the end of his tie, pulling him towards the living room. "I was thinking it's been a while since I had thoroughly seduced you." He grinned at her.

"And, um, after you seduce me... do I get to, return the favor?" She licked her lips putting her scotch down on the nearest flat surface. Her fingers went to work undoing his tie, and then the buttons on his shirt. He placed his glass next to hers, intending to undo the dreadful knot holding her robe together.

She swatted his hand away. "None of that now." she told him. After she had his shirt off she ran her hands up his bare chest, enjoying the feeling of his skin. Then she pulled away abruptly, falling into the giant mountain of pillows she had made. "Come sit with me?" she beckoned him. He leaned his cane against the couch and eased his way down on the floor and crawled into Belle's little fort, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her down to him.

She smiled lovingly at him, running a hand through his hair. Belle could see the happiness in his eyes and she only hoped that it would still be there after this conversation ended. "I've only had one other serious boyfriend." The statement took Gold by surprise but he didn't pull away from her. "His name was Gaston. I met him while I was in France and he came with me on most of my other adventures." She stopped to take in Gold's expression. He didn't look angry just confused, but he didn't say anything so she continued. "He wasn't particularly bright, but he was handsome and had moments when he was sweet and tender. He was my first, everything. But we didn't really have anything in common. All he really cared about was sex and having someone good-looking draped on his arm. So I broke it of and left him stranded in Florence."

Gold kept his hold on her, searching for something to say. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked her.

Belle bit her bottom lip, "Because Gaston was part of my past. I was with him for nearly a year. How can we really know each other without knowing each other's pasts?"

Gold let out a deep breath, pulling from her slightly, now aware of what she was looking to get from him. "Please don't pull away from me," she begged him. "I just want to know you, even if it's not something I really want to hear."

He looked at her, seeing the desperation in her eyes. She loved him. He had to remind himself of that. If she truly loved him than he shouldn't be afraid of losing her. 'She's not going to leave,' he told himself. 'Let her in. Let her know you' he told himself. "Who was better in bed, me or that Gaston fellow?" She laughed at his question, the fear in her eyes vanishing.

"You definitely take first prize in that category" she assured him with a kiss.

"What about the other categories?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, sex was the only category Gaston made it into so..." She smiled down at him as she swung her leg over his torso she was straddling him. She leaned down to kiss his chin, then his cheeks and forehead and nose. "What about me?" she asked him, nibbling on his ear lobe.

He groaned, grinding his hips up against hers. She gasped at the sensation. "It's not even a competition love. You'll always be the best." He rolled her over so he was laying over her. "You sure you want to know?" he asked her, making sure she was prepared for it. She nodded, looking up at him with wonder, wrapping her legs around him.

"It's not my place to tell you about Regina's relationship with her mother." Belle nodded understanding. "It was right after my divorce was finalized that I became 'involved' with Cora. I don't mean, sexually. I mean, there were a few nights but it was never anything more than that. She was really just someone that I could talk to. She wasn't afraid of me like the rest of the town. She was more of a friend than anything. But, she was just using me. Cora has always lusted after power. When she found out that I had some she began lusting after me. When she told me that she wanted more than friendship, I turned her down. Bae was only five and I had just went through the divorce, I didn't want a relationship. She wasn't too pleased. Ended up trying to buy the town from me. We got into a nasty battle. I won, naturally, and she left. I suspect she went to build up a small fortune so she could come back and gain her revenge on me." Belle was still beneath him, listening intently to every word he spoke. "You have to understand Belle, this woman, is pure evil. She'll stop at nothing to get what she wants. She even threatened my five year old son. She's going to find out that you're with me, and she's gonna come after you. You're my weakness now, Belle."

Belle was silent for a moment. Then she looked up at her love. He looked nervous, probably since she hadn't said a word since he finished his story. Realizing she wouldn't be able to find anything to say any time soon, she soothed his worries with a kiss. She let him untie the sash to her robe and pull the fabric from her. He toyed with the lace hemming of her negligee as he kissed and licked his way down her neck.

Belle's breathing was starting to become labored. Gold wasn't holding anything back. He pinched her nipple through the silky fabric and she arched into his hand. Belle clung to his shoulders. Then without warning, Gold pulled back. He sat up, staring down at Belle, taking in her swollen lips and her erect nipples showing through her negligee. He reached down to palm her breasts and again, she arched into him. Then he grabbed the material and summoning all of hist strength ripped the garment in half, exposing Belle fully to him.

The sound of fabric ripping was enough to have Belle trembling. Gold pulled the remaining fabric away from her and tossed it aside. With shaky hands Belle reached down to undo his belt and push his pants down along with his boxers. Not missing a beat Gold lined them up and with one easy stroke, slipped inside her. Their hips met thrust for thrust never losing their rhythm.

Having revealed a little more about themselves, it felt as though them making love in Belle's sheet fort was their first time together all over again. As Belle ran her fingers through her love's sweat soaked hair, she smiled at the thought that they would be making sheet forts together for a very long time.

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**Sorry this took so long I've been super busy and I'm sorry this update wasn't that long. Hopefully I'll have my other stpries updated by the end of the week. Let me know what you think :)**


	10. Evil Plans and Family Dinners

**So sorry for the late update, I'm trying to stay on track but life is sucking right now. Hope you like it!**

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Another two weeks had passed and there was still no sign of Cora. Belle could tell that Nick was on edge. He was constantly looking over his shoulder, as was Regina. The more nervous those two became the more nervous she became.

Sure Nick had told his story, but there was still so much she didn't know. At least she had some work in the shop to distract her. Since the auction, business had been picking up. There were a lot more out-of-townees, and it was nice for her to have conversations with unfamiliar faces. Until that afternoon, anyway.

Mr. Gold had stepped out of the shop to run a few errands, leaving Belle alone in the shop. She had been working on restitching the binding of an old leather book they had found in the basement when the bell rang. She walked to the front with a smile on her face.

"Hello, anything in particular you're looking for today?" she asked the customer.

The woman looked up from the shelf of trinkets and eyed Belle, making her uncomfortable. "His victim's keep getting younger and younger."

Belle blinked, her eyes opening with sudden awareness. "Excuse me?" The woman smirked.

"Surely he's told you about me, Belle."

"How do you know my name, Cora?" Belle snapped back. She was warned this woman liked to play games. She doubted Cora knew that she wouldn't be able to play her.

"I like you," she told Belle. "You've got some spark in you. His last girl wasn't so lucky" she said nonchalantly.

"Well it's nice to know you finally got some" Belle countered.

Cora glared at her, stalking up to the counter like she owned the place. "Listen to me, little girl, you tell that monster of yours that I want to meet with him."

Belle huffed, "Seeing you is the last thing Nick wants to do." Cora wasn't surprised by that news. Belle was surprised by the news Cora had though.

She leaned over the desk, her perfectly manicured finger nails scratching the glass, "Tell him I know where his son is hiding." Belle's eyes widened and that was enough of an answer for Cora. She walked out of the shop before Belle could find the words to speak.

As soon as she gathered her thoughts together, Belle grabbed her phone to dial Nick's number, but he was already calling her. She took a deep breath and answered.

"Hey sweetie." she answered.

"Cora's here. I want you to close the shop, I'll be there in a few minutes..."

"It's okay, Nick. She wasn't too hard to handle." Belle bit her lip waiting for his reply, that would no doubt be quite explosive.

"You mean she came into the shop! You talked to her!?"

"I handled it. Look, just get here as fast as you can, there's something important I have to tell you."

"Just tell me now, I'm almost there." Belle took another deep breath. "Belle? Are you still there?"

She shook her head, not realizing how long she had been paused. "Cora... she said she knew where your son was." The phone beeped, telling her the conversation was over and that he was probably about to open the door, which he did.

Gold limped as fast as he could over to her, looking her over to check for scratches or bruises that the evil witch might have inflicted. "Nick, I'm fine. I promise."

He looked up into her eyes and she saw the confusion and hurt lingering in his. "She said, she knew where Baden was?" Belle nodded her head. "What else did she say?"

"She wants to talk to you. I'm guessing your son is her bargaining chip. I could tell she wants something from you." Gold gripped his cane a little tighter, his lips went from a scowl to a thin, straight line. "Do you know what she wants?"

Belle's hand on his arm was enough to calm him down. "I have an idea."

"Should we call Regina? It seemed like here was her first stop."

Gold shook his head. "It's far too late for that. She was headed toward Regina when I saw her."

He rubbed his temple, trying to get rid of his frustration. "What did she say to _you_?"

Belle shrugged her shoulders. "Not much, really. She was just trying to scare me off, and then she got pissy when it didn't work."

"Do you think she was telling the truth, about my son?" Belle took his hand in hers and then squeezed.

"I don't know. Does she usually tell the truth?" Gold shook his head.

"You're sure you don't want to take a very spontaneous vacation to Bora Bora? I hear it's lovely there." Belle giggled at him before curling herself into his side.

"You know we can't do that, we have dinner with my father again tonight." He groaned, but Belle knew that the two men in her life were starting to actually get along. "You should still call Regina." He looked down at her, eyebrows raised. "She didn't have to tell you Cora was coming. She tried to help you. Just admit you owe her this."

"Fine. I'll call her later." Belle scrunched her nose at the word later but still rewarded him with a soft kiss on the lips. "How could someone so innately good, end up with the town grump?"

Belle laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist, sliding her hands beneath his suit jacket. "Well, maybe what the town grump lacks in personality he makes up for with incredible sex." She grinned mischievously at him. "Or maybe, he's secretly the sweetest, most loving, caring, beautiful man, who's just the teensiest bit afraid to let everyone else see him for who he really is."

Gold smiled lovingly at her. "So, are we going to your father's or is he coming to us?"

Belle gasped, "You're not going to say anything about the innately good girl?"

He smirked and bent his head down so he could capture her lips in a passionate kiss. He pulled away leaving both of them breathless. "Enough said." Belle smacked his chest playfully, before resting her head over his heart. His free arm came around her.

"He's coming to us." she mumbled against softness of his shirt.

"Brilliant."

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Regina knew that her mother was evil. She had been victim to it many times before. She even knew that she had inherited some of that evil, which was something she was working on for Henry. What she didn't know was that her mother believed she would want to work with her on some crazy plot to steal the town from Gold. First of all Regina was already mayor of Storybrooke, owning the town had little to no appeal to her. She didn't want people to fear her anymore than they already did.

"You know I should have won that fight all those years ago. Now, he has two weaknesses. His long lost son, and that little tart."

Regina ignored her mother's words, more focused on how she was going to lie through her teeth to keep Cora unaware of her actual intentions. All she knew was that she needed to get to Gold, and fast.

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Moe arrived at Gold's house at around 6:30. Belle opened the door up for him and lead him to the dining room. "Good evening, Mr. French." Moe nodded to Gold before taking his seat at the dinner table.

"You want something to drink dad?" Belle asked. "We have practically everything," she joked.

"I'll just have beer, please. So, Gold, Belle said business was picking up?"

Gold nodded, turning from the stove to face Moe. "Yes, I'm planning on going to another auction."

Belle smiled at him. "Do I get to tag along?" she asked, handing her father the beer.

"Why of course. I couldn't possibly go without you." Belle scrunched up her nose at his teasing, but leaned in for a quick kiss anyway.

"The food's almost ready. I made stir fry, I hope that's alright."

"Well it smells good." The two men laughed and Belle rolled her eyes taking a seat at the table with a glass of wine.

"Dad, you'll eat anything if it smells good."

Gold brought over their plates, but just as he was about to take a bite there was a knock at the door. "Who on earth could that be?" he asked aloud, standing up and going to the door. When he opened it, he found Regina standing there. "Something I can do for you?" Regina pushed past him, letting herself in. "It's rather rude to just barge into someone's home."

"Oh can it Gold. You know why I'm here." Gold swallowed. "She wants to take the town from you."

At this point, Belle had gotten up from the table to make her way over to Nick. She wrapped an arm around his waist, offering him silent support. "Yes, we know, and in exchange she'll tell him where his son is."

Regina smirked at her before turning her attention back to Gold. "Finally being honest with her?"

"Actually, you weren't Cora's first stop. And he told me about his son in Boston." Gold smiled at her defense of him.

"Tell us why you're really here, Regina." Gold said. Regina glanced over at their dining room where Moe French still sat, quietly eating his dinner, pretending not to eavesdrop.

"I wanted to tell you... that I'm on your side." Belle and Nick looked at each other in shock. "I'm the last person in this town that wants Cora here. I want her back on a plane to, God knows where she's been, as soon as possible. I need your help to do that."

Gold extended his hand. "I believe we have finally agreed on something." Regina took his hand and he pulled her in. "Just so we're clear, I'm considering this little partnership a deal. And no one breaks a deal with me." Regina gulped and pulled her hand back.

"I look forward to working with you. I'll stop by your shop tomorrow." With a curt nod in Belle's direction she left.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut." Moe said from the table, without taking his eyes off of the food. Belle and Nick walked back to the table to finish their meal. They didn't talk about what had just happened until after Moe left, not wanting to get him hooked into all of the drama that was going on.

"Are you sure you can trust Regina?" Belle asked him.

"You're the only person I actually trust, Belle." She smiled at his confession but asked the question again anyway. "I do. I trust her with this matter, and only this. She hates Cora more than I do, as sad as that is to say."

They spent a few more moments, just cuddling on the couch before Belle stood up, claiming she had to go home tonight. "I don't have any clean clothes here. I can't just walk around town naked tomorrow."

"Why not? I would certainly appreciate that." Belle leaned down to give him a kiss before heading to the door. Nick stood up after her. "Wait." She turned, facing him.

"What is it, Nick?" He took a step closer, the grip on his cane tight from nerves.

"I was wondering if... if you might want to keep your clothes here?" Belle gave him a confused look, not reading between the lines of what he was asking. "I mean, would you want to stay here, with me, permanently?"

Belle sucked in a breath. She kind of already thought she was, even though it wasn't official. She spent all of her free time at home with him. She only slept at her father's house a couple nights a week when she didn't have clean clothes at Nick's. "I would love to."

Nick was on her so fast, she was caught off guard by the kiss. "You know, we haven't played hooky in awhile. Do you really need clean clothes?"

She wrapped her hands around his neck, her fingers playing with his hair. "I don't think I'll be needing any clothes." He grinned at her, leaning in for another kiss, but she stopped him. "What about Regina? She was supposed to come by the shop tomorrow."

He groaned, tightening his grip around her waist. "I'll text her to come here instead." That was all Belle needed before jumping up into his arms, demanding to be taken upstairs to once again 'christen' their bedroom.


End file.
